GEORGETOWN, SC (WMBF) – Friends and former teammates are mourning the loss of legendary Georgetown baseball coach.
Mike Johnson, longtime Georgetown baseball coach, died Thursday after drowning in a creek off Johnson Road and Michael Court.
WMBF spoke to two of Johnson’s lifelong friends and former teammates today to hear more about the iconic coach’s legacy.
“This community, we lost a legend”, says Rodney Ward.
Johnson’s coaching career spanned more than 40 years, including his tenure as the first head baseball coach of Georgetown High School.
He became a legendary coach across South Carolina and ended his career with over 740 wins, the second most in state high school baseball history.
“That’s a bunch of wins,” says Ward. “Most of them were done right here on this field.”
The field Ward references is in Mike Johnson Park, home of Georgetown High School baseball. It was named to honor Johnson in 1989.
Joe Isaac, another of Johnson’s former teammates and a lifelong friend, tells WMBF that Johnson is the reason the facility looks the way it does today.
“Every single thing you see there, from the batting cage to the dugout to the seats … he is responsible,” said Isaac. “They named it Mike Johnson Park because of his coaching abilities and how he was successful, but that area is truly without a doubt Mike Johnson’s park. He put it there, and nobody else.”
Ward says Johnson was a tough coach, but for a good reason.
“I remember times when Mike would get on a player,” he says, “But by the end of the day he’d be back with the same player, building him up …making that player better for what he has accomplished.”
WMBF asked Ward what he thought Johnson’s former players would say about their coach. “They would say ‘he was tough,” he said. “He made us play hard, but at the end of the day, we were all a family.’”
Isaac says Johnson’s coaching taught his players more than how to pitch or steal a base, but instilled skills for life.
According to a police report, Johnson had dementia and was under the care of caretakers. One of his caretakers lost sight of him on Thursday as he was walking along Michael Court.
The caretaker later found Johnson in the water, pulled him out, and started chest compressions before Johnson was taken to the hospital, where he died, the report states.
A celebration of life will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Mike Johnson Park, with the family receiving friends one hour before the service.
To view Johnson’s obituary, click here.
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